


An Unexpected Kiss

by JayceCarter



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Feels, Fluff, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 10:12:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11415723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayceCarter/pseuds/JayceCarter
Summary: Captain Kells is tired of Nora always defending the squires, and Nora is sick of him being too hard on them. When they decide to confront the issue, they discover things they hadn't expected.**A gift for Cllibra2000 who requested the pairing, hopefully I did them justice**





	An Unexpected Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cllibra2000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cllibra2000/gifts).



Red rimmed the young squire’s eyes from unshed tears, his bottom lip trembling as he fought to look strong, even as Kells stood before him, shoulders back, eyes hard.

 

“This rifle was not properly cared for. Should one of you have needed it in the field, you’d have died. So, who was it that did this?”

 

The obvious culprit was James, the young squire who shook, at the end of the line. None spoke, though. Chain of command was important, but not ratting out your comrades was more important, especially to children.

 

Nora growled at that. Children. That’s all they were, not one of them older than twelve.

 

This wasn’t the life for children, being yelled at by Kells.

 

And she sure as hell wasn’t about to stand for it.

 

“It was me, Lancer-Captain Kells.” She pulled her shoulders back and stepped in front of the trembling squire.

 

Kells narrowed his eyes, and he damned well she hadn’t done it. Nora had dealt with enough weapons to know exactly how to assemble them after cleaning. She’d never have made such an error.

 

You know who would have?

 

A damn child.

 

“You’re telling me you did this, Paladin Jacobs? You’re trying to tell me you do not know how to assemble a basic rifle?” He held up the weapon as if daring her to lie to him again.

 

“That’s right. Would you like to yell at me now, or can we let the squires go eat since they’d been working all day and have yet to be given dinner, and yell at me later?”

 

He straightened further, like her words were neither expected nor welcome. “Since it appears the squires were not at fault, they are welcome to run along.”

 

The squires filed out at a run. Nora glanced over her shoulder and gave James a smile and a wink to reassure the poor kid.

 

Once they were gone, Nora faced Kells again. “So, are you going to yell?”

 

“There isn’t a point, is there? Dismissed, Paladin.” Kells shook his head, twisted on his heels, and walked out.

 

#

 

Kells rubbed his eyes in his quarters as he looked over the paperwork. He would have never expected keeping a floating ship airborne would prove to be so frustrating.

 

And then the confrontation with Paladin Jacobs?

 

With Nora?

 

The woman frustrated him to no end. If she was simply undisciplined, he would find it easier to deal with. However, the problem was, her heart was too big. She didn’t recognize the world they lived in and she protected everyone.

 

She was fond of protecting the squires from him, as if he were the big bad wolf and she was keeping him from devouring innocent squires.

 

The woman was clearly a mother, and had taken to mothering everyone.

 

Hell, he’d seen her put Elder Arthur Maxson to bed one day when he was snapping and obviously overworked. She’d taken him by the arm, drug him to his room, and threatened to lock him in if he did not willingly get some sleep.

 

A soft knock on his door brought his gaze up. “Yes? Come in.”

 

He should have expected it when Nora walked in, tray of food in hand. “Can I come in?”

 

He motioned toward the chair on the other side of the desk. “Of course, Paladin. What can I do for you?”

 

Nora shut the door behind her, tray balanced on her hand before setting in front of him. “I doubted you’d fed yourself yet.”

 

“I don’t believe I asked you to get food for me.”

 

Nora sat in the chair. “No, you didn’t. You’re welcome.”

 

Kells pressed his lips together, then shook his head. Nora seemed oblivious to any sort of command structure. Trying to educate her on it felt like teaching ghouls proper skin maintenance. Even if she learned it, she’d never use it, so what was the point. “Thank you.”

 

“You know I didn’t break that rifle.”

 

“Of course. You’d never make such a mistake.”

 

“Why didn’t you call me on it?”

 

“What good would that have done? You decided to take the blame, letting Squire James off the hook. So he would not learn his lesson and you being punished or yelled at would do nothing.” He took a bite of the food she brought. “Besides, I find I tire of always being the bad guy.”

 

“If you don’t like it, why do you do it? Those are children, Kells. You can’t treat them like adults.”

 

He sighed and pushed the food away, appetite drying up. “You do not understand this world, Jacobs. You may be surviving in it, even thriving in it, but you do not understand it. If anyone understands what those squires need, it is me. Your coddling them does not help prepare them for their future.”

 

She leaned forward, cheeks flushed. “What I understand is that they’re kids. They should be playing, not on a warship. They should be with their parents, staying up too late and riding bikes and breaking curfew, not learning to assemble rifles.”

 

He leaned back, trying to look more casual. “I started as a squire. Did you know that? I grew up in the Brotherhood, rose through the ranks. These people are more than fellow soldiers; they are my family.”

 

“So you should remember what it felt like to be their age! You should know how scary that was, how much you just wanted to be a child.”

 

“It is exactly why I have to be hard on them. This isn’t the world you want it to be. I became a squire, like most of those on this ship, because my parents were killed and I had nowhere else to go. In this world, children are not exempt from pain. A deathclaw does not turn away from a child because of their age. A feral doesn’t leave a child alone because of their age. No super mutant leaves a child alive out of some sense of morality. I’ve seen too many children die because they were coddled, because they didn’t know what was out there, because they weren't ready for it. I don’t want to lose a single one of them, and that is why I push them, that is why I am hard on them. This world doesn’t give allowances for age, Jacobs.”

 

Nora stared down at her lap, and her hands that wrung together there. She refused to look up, eyebrows drawn together. He could almost see the pain skirting across her features.

 

He sighed and stood, pulling the chair beside her. He grasped her hands until she looked at him. “However, the squires do well with having you around them. You take care of their needs that, as you point out, I am ill-equipped for. They have thrived since you’ve been here. You are a natural caretaker, and while it annoys me from time to time, like when you take responsibility for a mistake of theirs, it has been good for them.”

 

Her voice came out soft. “They remind me of my child, of the fact I didn’t get to raise him.”

 

“I’m sorry. However, you have an entire ship of people here you mother. Don’t think I miss how you ensure everyone is fed, especially the officers who do not always take the time to do so.”

 

Nora’s gaze skirted over to the tray of food. “Like you?”

 

He smiled, the action stiff since he did it so rarely. “Yes, like me.”

 

Nora leaned forward, across the short distance, and kissed him.

 

Kells froze at the unexpected contact. Nora had never implied she felt anything for him other than annoyance.

 

When he didn’t return the kiss, she pulled back, gaze going anywhere but him. “I’m sorry. I guess I misread that.” She started to stand, rambling. “I’ll, well, I’ll get going. I’m really sorry; I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We can forget all about that.” She rushed out of the room before he could regain enough sense to stop her.

 

Well. . . that was unexpected.

 

#

 

Nora groaned in her room. Stupid.

 

What was she thinking kissing him? She was expecting Maxson to call her into his quarters and give her a talk about sexual harassment and fraternization.

 

She couldn’t even blame it on misreading him. He’d never given her any indication he wanted her. He never leered at her, never watched her in that way men did, never flirted.

 

But. . . she couldn’t stop thinking about him. And after his story? After realizing why he pushed people so hard? She couldn’t not kiss him.

 

And that wasn’t an excuse she suspected Maxson would accept.

 

A knock on her door had her throwing her arm over her eyes. Right on time. It had to be Maxson. “Come in.”

 

The door opened, then clicked closed after someone entered. They didn’t speak, and Nora refused to look. The faster she acknowledged Maxson, the faster he was going to lecture her, and she wanted to avoid that conversation as long as possible.

 

How was she going to face Kells again? They’d still work together; she’d still have to see him daily. How could she face him after making a fool of herself like that?

 

The silence finally got to her. “I’m sorry, Maxson. I know I shouldn’t have done it. It won’t happen again, okay?”

 

“I think perhaps you should talk to me before making that decision.” Kells voice had her jerking her arm off her face and sitting up.

 

“Oh, fuck.”

 

“Lovely language.”

 

“Like I said already, I’m really sorry. We still have to work together, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I can forget it happened and we can move on, okay?”

 

He didn’t respond to her rambling. “Why did you kiss me?”

 

“Really? Do people do it for all that many different reasons?”

 

Kells didn’t move from the doorway, hands folded behind him. “I would have assumed, given your age, that you’d have been more interested in someone like Maxson. He certainly hasn’t been shy about his interest in you. It means I can’t understand why you would want to kiss me.”

 

She arched her eyebrow. “Arthur is barely older than those scribes. Do you have any idea how creepy that would be? He’s basically a kid himself. I’m not into robbing the cradle, thank you very much.” She stood and walked over to the door, pulling it open so he could leave. “If you aren’t interested in me, that’s okay. You don’t need to sugar-coat it. I’m a big girl, and I can handle it. Like I said, we’ll just pretend this whole mess never happened.”

 

They froze, inches apart, before Kells set a hand on the door and pushed it closed again.

 

#

 

Nora’s eyes had widened when the door clicked shut. All the reasons he should walk out of that door stopped mattering when she’d opened that door and told him to just tell her he didn’t want her.

 

He slid a hand behind her neck to pull her in and kiss her the way he should have in the room, the way that said while he hadn’t expected this, it was very welcome.

 

He turned her so her back was to the door, tilting her head so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue traced the seam of her lips until she let him in, allowed him to taste her.

 

When was the last time he’d gotten to just feel? To not worry about other people, to just enjoy himself? It had been before they’d left the Capital Wasteland, since he’d found it wrong to sleep with people who didn’t have a choice in the matter. Nora though? She was different. This was different.

 

She wrapped one leg up, over his hip, her hands fisting in the front of his vest. She responded to his kiss, meeting every move, driving him further.

 

His control slipped, and he lifted her other leg around him, grinding against her. She broke the kiss, head falling back against the door in a loud thump. He took the chance to kiss her exposed throat.

 

Someone knocked on the door. “Are you all right, Paladin?” Maxson’s voice had Kells ready to stop, but Nora slid her hands over Kells shoulders and shifted her hips so he’d keep moving.

 

“Yes, Elder. Fine. Just stumbled, that’s all.”

 

“Are you sure? I can take you to Cade. You sound unwell.”

 

Kells scrapped his teeth over her pulse, and a soft moan fell from her lips.

 

“Not necessary, sir. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Paladin, can I come in and make sure? You sound strange.”

 

Kells placed his hands on her hips to press harder against her, and this time her moan was loud. More than loud enough to drift through the door. “She’s fine, Elder. I’ll make sure she checks in in the morning.”

 

“Oh. Kells? Right, yes. Thank you.” The footsteps drifted away and Kells could almost see Maxson rushing to his own room, cheeks heated.

 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Nora scolded.

 

“Always trying to protect the children, aren’t you?” He moved her from the door, dropping her on the bed and crawling over her. He leaned up enough to pull down the zipper on her vault suit, then strip her of it. She wore no bra, and he took the underwear with it. “You know this suit isn’t proper Brotherhood attire. I’ve been wanting to get you of it since you first walked onto my ship.”

 

She grinned as she hooked her fingers on the button of his pants, pulling once before undoing them. “Well, if this is my punishment, I’ll make sure I wear it more often.”

 

He leaned over her, bracing his weight on an elbow while he took her mouth in another kiss. His other hand slid down between them, using her own wetness to stroke her clit. Nora’s hips lifted, a shameless plea for more. He liked that about her, that she didn’t play the shy virgin, that she didn’t play hard to get.

 

She broke the kiss. “Come on, Kells. You made me wait, you embarrassed me in your room, you made sure Maxson knows exactly what is happening, don’t tease me anymore. I’m ready.”

 

He pressed his forehead against hers while he gripped himself, pants down enough to free himself. He pressed into her, sinking into her heat with ease.

 

Her leg wrapped up and around his hip again, heel pressing into him to pull him closer. He set a pace, using her soft moans to spur him on, to tell him what she enjoyed. If he moved too slow, or too gentle, she’d dig her heel into him, nails biting into his shoulders, and he’d take the hint.

 

He was a soldier, after all, and he could take orders when he needed to.

 

She was amazing when she came, her neck arching, back bowing up against him, cunt tightening down around him and pulling him right over with her. There was no way to hold out when she pulsed around him, tightening and whimpering, her lips finding his with soft, content kisses.

 

He pulled out and settled beside her, waiting for her to pull away, to decide this was all a mistake. He wouldn’t resent her for it; there were a lot of complications in getting involved with him. There would be with Maxson, as well, but at least there was a payoff, there.

 

When she said nothing, he reached out and brushed hair from her face. “Was that okay?”

 

She rolled toward him and her smile stole his breath. “It was good, but I hope you don’t think I’m done with you for tonight. Arthur will be sulking for days, so I expect you to make it up to me.”

 

Kells leaned in and kissed her softly, dragging his teeth over her bottom lip as he pulled back. “I have a longer refractory period than I used to. How about I go get us some food, we rest, and then see where the night takes us?”

 

“Well, look who’s mothering now?”

 

Kells rolled over her, his leg sliding between her thighs, pressing against her wetness. “Not mothering, no. I’m just very attentive to those under me.” He ground that leg against her until she whimpered at the stimulation, then he pulled away.

 

Nora laughed and sat up. “Who would have thought you could make jokes.”

 

He redressed, straightening his clothing and making himself presentable. “Will you still be naked when I return, Jacobs?”

 

“Don’t you think you should call me Nora? And what do I get if I am?”

 

He smiled at her, drawn in by her sweetness. “The same thing you always seem to get, Nora. Whatever you want.”

 


End file.
